Purdue firefighter retires after 32 years

Diana Hardy was the first woman on the Purdue University Fire Department. But she didn't set out to break any barriers. She was looking for a good paying career. After 32 1/2 years, Hardy says she is good memories of her "second family."

Diana Hardy began working as a Purdue University firefighter/EMT in December 1981. Ronald Reagan was completing his first year as president of the United States, and a gallon of gasoline cost about $1.25.

Many things have changed since then. But Hardy never lost focus of her desire to do the job.

"When I walked in that door, I wanted to be treated equal," she said.

Co-workers and longtime friends gathered at the university fire station Tuesday to celebrate her retirement after 32½ years, the longest anyone has served on the department.

The firefighting seed was planted while Hardy was taking courses at Ivy Tech to become a dental assistant. "They needed victims for an EMT class, so I volunteered," she said.

Hardy worked in a dental office after graduating. But emergency response was in her blood, so she joined Wabash Township Volunteer Fire Department, then started thinking about becoming a full-time firefighter.

"I looked at it seriously for a long time because I had to pass the agility test," she said. "But I had such a good experience at Wabash Township, I knew I could do the job."

Hardy was ready to be Purdue's first female firefighter. However, the fire station, built in 1965, was never designed to accommodate a woman.

"We had a men's locker room," Chief Kevin Ply said. "We put a sign on the door and flipped it over when Diana was in the restroom or dressing."

Wives dropped by the station to see what she looked like, Hardy said. She slept in a T-shirt and shorts at night. The gloves and boots made for men were too big, and male co-workers had to adjust.

"When I carried a heavy hose up a ladder, they knew I'd be fine," she said.

Dana Wislocki joined the department soon after Hardy was hired. She worked as a firefighter/paramedic for 10 years until an injury forced her to retire.

"I was older when I started, and I was respected, but you're one of the boys," Wislocki said. "You were still treated like a sibling with the practical jokes."

It was not easy for Hardy, said Mike Lasky, a 16-year veteran of the department.

"She took a lot of bumps along the way, and she persevered," Lasky said. "This doesn't have anything to do with the fact that she is a female.

"This has to do with the person she is."

Hardy is "one of the kindest, sweetest people, and makes you feel at home," Lasky said.

With her retirement, the department loses a veteran trained in aircraft crash rescue, rope rescue, hazmat spills and a staff member who knows campus buildings inside and out, Ply said.

Hardy was in search of a good-paying career when she joined the department. She found a second family.

"I will take a lot of great memories from the station, having dinners around the table, and a lot of great experiences," she said.